All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
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Book Reviews of All Quiet on the Western Front
Book Review: The pity of war
Summary: 5 Stars
The book is about young adults living and dying with each other through World War 1. Most of the book has its good points. A few of the bad points are long drawn-out sequences where nothing really important happens. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever had the thirst to read a war novel. The dialogue is very, very believable, though they spoke formally. There were a few foreshadowing events. They always spoke of dying. They also had many flashbacks of their old school days,and basic training. The setting is very proper -- the trenches, the ruined French towns. The mood is sad. The rising action would be the times right before an attack. There are two climaxes. The first is where the main character's best friend is hit by shrapnel, and he later dies. The next climax is where another character dies on the very last day of the war. The resolution is horrible. There are so many characters in the book, you're bound to find one who has a similar personality to you. This is one of the greatest that has ever been written!
The book takes you into the lives of these young men in the war to end all wars. Remarque also got his information first-hand. He was a soldier who fought in that war. The imagery he used was amazing. You actually felt like you were standing in the middle of no-man's land, with bullets flying over your head. This is a great novel to read if your great-great grandparents were in the war so you can realize what they went through or even if anyone in your family is in Iraq you can see on a much bigger level what they might be going through. Of course, we pray that fighting over there will never get that bad.
So read "All Quiet On the Western Front!"
Book Review: The Truths of War
Summary: 5 Stars
All Quiet On the Western Front is a great story about young German soldiers fighting in WWI. The book follows Paul Baumer and his friends, Muller, Kemmerich, Franz, and Tjaden through their struggle to survive the horrible war. The men enlist, full of pride and enthusiasm, but they quickly realize the senseless stupidity of the fighting. As they watch their comrades die horrifying deaths, the soldiers know they will never be the same. This is apparent to Baumer when he returns to his home during a two week leave. His mother is curious about the war, but he knows he can't tell her how he killed men his own age with his bare hands. Baumer is isolated in the world outside of the war. He has no way of expressing his thoughts and feelings to those who didn't experience the fighting firsthand. The battleground, the place he hates, has become the only place he can live. As the fighting continues and more of his friends are killed, it becomes obvious to Baumer that whether he lives or dies, it is all the same.Remarque has written a powerful story which highlights the dark side of war. He points out that men of the same generation are forced to kill each other, only because they wear different uniforms. This is not a feel-happy book, but it is highly insightful and thought provoking. I would highly recommend it. A great feature of the book is that there is little importance placed on Germany fighting England and France. The actual soldiers see their fight as being against the idea of war itself. The story is a testament to the power of the human spirit and what it can endure. There is a fair amount of war violence, but if you can get past that, you should definitely read this book.
Book Review: A PR Student's view on The Greatest War Novel of All Time
Summary: 5 Stars
All Quiet on the Western Front, written by Erich Maria Remarque, springs the reader into the deteriorating life of a German soldier named Paul Bäumer. This twenty year old boy is cast into the terrible cage of trench warfare in World War I. For nearly three years he has escaped the gas, the shelling, and the bullets. Most have not. Now, like his close comrades, he has become a life-less killing automaton. For Paul, life is one moment of intense fear and death, the next boredom and intense sorrow. However, amidst the atrocities of war Paul and his comrades amazingly find time for some pleasure. These times bring much needed comic relief.
This book may not be for everyone, but I strongly recommend it as one of the "have to read" books. Although this novel portrays the grotesque wounds, suffering, and death of the soldiers both in the field and in the hospital, it is not mistakenly labeled "The Greatest War Novel of All Time". Throughout this gut-wrenching novel, Erich brilliantly portrays a plot of concentrated highs and lows. Reflecting back, I found this truly representative of the atmosphere of war. He also brings to life the horrors of war in a dramatic and artistic manner. Ironically, the most violent parts were often the most beautiful. Also, this masterpiece incorporates the true love between a soldier and his war comrades. One will not only grow to cherish Paul's comrades, but also his communal characteristics. One will easily see themselves in Paul at a young and ambitious age. In this way, one easily recognizes and feels the pain and sorrow Paul feels. By the end of the novel, I found myself sympathetically cheering for the losing German force.
Book Review: Powerful Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had to read this book for school, but I am glad that I did. This is an extremely powerful book about WWI, from the losers prospective. This makes it more interesting because most books focus on the winners side. All Quiet on the Western Front was about Paul Baumer, a young soldier full of hopes and dreams. This book shows how tragic war really is. All Quiet on the Western Front is a very graphic book and it tells all the bloody details. Paul Baumer goes to war unaware of what he would find there with his group of friends he had made in training. The war soon takes it toll on Paul and his friends. They become much closer, but soon one by one they are killed over the course of the book. Paul has many experiences that are filled with horror. Paul finds he has changed significantly in his war experience when he takes a trip home for a while. When he gets back to the war he gets a serious wound with his friend and gets to leave. Eventually he must go back, but his friend does not. Soon his friends who he has become so attached to are diminished down to one, who was one of his closest of all. This friend (named Kat) was hurt and it was up to Paul to save him. Paul tries his hardest, but by the time he gets him to help Kat has already died. Paul now felt there was nothing left to live for. This led to a very sad ending that just had to touch you in some way. This is a very good book that is very touching, sad, powerful and effective to its purpose. After reading this tragic and well written book you will never feel the same way about war again.Book Review: Best War Book Ever Written!
Summary: 5 Stars
All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is a historical fiction book based on World War I. The main character, whose name is not mentioned because he is also the narrator, joined the military at age nineteen and soon made several friends. The book goes on to tell the story of him and his friends' lives during the war.
The book is very enjoyable, so I rated it at five stars. It is a real page-turner with a storyline that really explains what life at war is about. You get an accurate and considerable taste of the aspects of war: death of allies and friends, the danger of being infected with diseases such as gangrene, the pain and sorrow felt when being forced to leave men behind to die, the fear in your eyes when that first rocket or shell ignites, the unbearable anticipation when you are sent to fight at the frontline, the feeling the experience when you are almost at the point of suffocating from the enemies' gases, and more. The book accurately describes every action and element of the story.
I rated it at five stars for all of the reasons in the previous paragraph, plus many I didn't include. The ending is exceptional, how it unleashes a sorrowful and thoughtful emotion in your body that makes you want to stop all war from ever beginning, so other people don't have to suffer through despair and anxiety like the characters in this book. You will not regret reading this book, and so I recommend it to everyone, even if you don't enjoy war books or historical fictions, you will still love this book.